A Week in the “New Normal”
By Gurbani
Ever since COVID-19 was characterized as a pandemic, every individual’s life began to change. All our plans and routines were affected. There was a visible change coming our way, and eventually we were all asked to social distance or self-isolate and adapt to the “new normal.”
My first reaction to all this was: I was devastated and felt hopeless. With an uncertain future and a drastic change in my lifestyle, my heart started sinking. I had no clue how I would be able to stay home for no-one-knows-how-long before I could go back to university and see my friends. As days passed by, the “new normal” became more and more difficult to adapt to. But then I came across a post on Instagram which said “You’re not stuck at home, you’re safe at home,” and that made me realize that this “new normal” is for my safety. Once I realized that, I was fully prepared to adjust to this “new normal” for the sake of my health and safety and that of those around me.
So, here’s how I spent my first week living the “new normal:”
Day 1 — Went grocery shopping
Shopping for essential supplies is the first thing to do before social distancing. Stocking up for a week or two prevents you from needing to leave your home frequently. Stockpiling and panic buying, on the other hand, do no good to you and especially others. It is extremely harmful as stockpiling deprives others of all the essential supplies they need to survive, especially those who are in quarantine. Also, stockpiled items are just a waste of your money as stores are restocking every day and you won’t end up using all the items you bought. Many things will expire and become useless by the time you are ready to use them. It is therefore important to be considerate about others and not just yourself in times like these.
[Editor’s note: those who have symptoms of COVID-19, have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or who have returned from international travel, are required to self-isolate and cannot leave their home. Using a delivery service for groceries is recommended.]
Day 2 — Registered in an online course
Taking an online course enables you to utilize your time productively during self-isolation. One of my friends in grad school suggested that I take an online course from O’Reilly. O’Reilly provides online training and certifications in IT-related subjects like Cloud, Python, and Terraform to university students for free. All you have to do is register on the website using your Ualberta email address and select the course that aligns with your interests.
If you are not an IT person, you can learn calligraphy, new workout exercises, new dance forms, and so much more from YouTube. The U of A also offers several free Massive Open Online Courses where you can learn about bugs, black holes, dinosaurs, and more.
Day 3 — Started reading a book
Let’s admit that binge-watching Netflix and Amazon Prime all week is a pain on the eyes. Binge-watching Netflix makes me lazy and I just end up eating more and more snacks. To overcome feeling lazy, I started reading an inspirational book called The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma. I feel that now is the best time to read some inspiring content as we are all in an emotional state with a need for some motivation. Reading books about life lessons during this time will help you stay motivated and hopeful about the future.
Day 4 — Caught up on classes
Yes, we’re in self-quarantine — but classes are still happening. It is important to check into eclass at least once a day to learn and work on assignments.
Day 5 — Learnt a new recipe
Being an international student, I always crave the food I used to eat back home. With the workload from university, I never got a chance to learn a new recipe and cook food that connects me with my home. Ordering food online eventually became boring while self-isolating so I decided to cook something new! I tried one of Sanjeev Kapoor’s chicken recipes. It is so simple to learn a new recipe as there are many good videos available on YouTube that you can learn from.
Day 6 — Cleaned and redecorated my house
Staying indoors all the time makes the house messier than times when you go to class, and so it is extremely important to clean your living area once in a while. Decide on a day or two during the week and get those bags of snacks and your piles of clothes organised in the right places.
Additionally, you can try switching up your interior decor for a change in surroundings. I usually need a table and a chair with some decorative pieces around me when I’m working from home so that I have a good view. I feel that changing up my study/work spot proves to be beneficial as it breaks the monotony. For instance, I moved my study table near my window after it was initially in front of my bed. I also frequently sit at the dining table to work on my assignments. I have recently put up some artificial flower pots in my house (one on the dining table, one on the living room table, and one in my bathroom) because such things help me connect with nature. I’m taking care of a friend’s plant while he is back home, and I’ve kept that on my study table.
Day 7 — Made a tent house and hosted a little self-date
It is still possible in the “new normal” to relax on a Sunday and have a date night. You can’t go out, but making an indoor tent and watching a good movie with good food is also a way to do a self-date. If you miss hanging out with your friends, your squad can do a group video call from your individual tents!
Remember that “change is the only constant” and adapting to extraordinary circumstances like these makes all of us connected and stronger. All you can do for now is enjoy your time in self-quarantine and if we all stay wise and strong, we can go out and enjoy an ice-cream in the spring when all this comes to an end!
